Mary McDonald Coaching

Mary McDonald Coaching Outdoor Thinker | Wellbeing Coach
Accompanying people through life’s changing seasons
Space to pause, reflect & find direction
🌿 The Longfield Way

A beautiful evening at The Bookshelf in Newry. 🌿I’ve spent the last few days resting with sciatica, so perhaps I should ...
05/09/2026

A beautiful evening at The Bookshelf in Newry. 🌿

I’ve spent the last few days resting with sciatica, so perhaps I should have stayed at home last night.

But I had a real desire not to miss this beautiful gathering at The Bookshelf, to listen to Dearbhla Mescal talk about her book ‘Finding Joy’.

I’m so glad I went. Dearbhla talked about her life, her children, the experiences that have shaped her, cancer, motherhood, and ultimately, finding joy.

What struck me most was how genuine she was. The ‘shoe pile’ inside the doorway, now much reduced as her children have spread their wings.

There was no sense of presenting a perfect life. Just an honest woman sharing some of the difficult and joyful seasons she has travelled through, and what she has learned along the way.

She signed my copy of Finding Joy. 💚

Everyone at the event was given one piece of her jigsaw. As Dearbhla travels on her book tour, each person takes away a little piece. I loved that.

Perhaps life is a little like that. We don’t always see the whole picture. We collect pieces along the way - people, experiences, challenges, love, loss, laughter, books, conversations - and sometimes they become part of who we are.

So I came home with my signed book, a photograph and one little piece of the jigsaw.

And feeling very glad I chose to go. 💚

Thank you to Anthony and Niamh Reavey at The Bookshelf for such a lovely evening, and thank you Dearbhla for sharing your story and reminding us to keep looking for joy.

🧩 One little piece at a time.

02/09/2026

September arrived ……….

September arrived so quickly. 🍂

I was walking down the lane at Longfield yesterday evening, just as the light was beginning to fade.

The Rowan tree was heavy with berries, the mountain towards Forkhill sitting quietly in the distance, and I found myself thinking about how quickly the seasons turn.

September can feel a little like a crossroads. Summer is beginning to let go, evenings are drawing in, and suddenly there is a sense that we have another season ahead of us.

And perhaps rather than thinking that summer is over, we could ask ourselves:

What could we begin this season?

Maybe it’s taking up that evening class you’ve been thinking about.
Learning something new.
Picking up a book.
Meeting friends after the summer break.
Or simply slowing down enough to notice what’s around you.

I’m doing a little of that here at Number 145 too.

There is some serious declutterring happening - with Vinted proving to be very useful. There is a decorator currently transforming the main living room. The two sofas are gone to be reupholstered so we have nothing comfortable to sit on at the moment.🪑

Hence the evening walk down the lane ………….

Sometimes we don’t need a grand plan to make a change.

Sometimes we just need to notice that a new season has arrived - and decide what we might do with it.

Here’s to September. 🌿🍂




19/08/2026

Life at Longfield | Take a little piece of Longfield with you today 🌿

I’ve been thinking about those social media posts we see about the things that are “worth the money”.

But what about the things that are worth our time?

Here are five things I think are worth spending a little more time on:

1. Nature 🌿
Step outside. Look up. Notice what’s around you. The trees, the birds, the sky, the changing light.

2. The garden 🌱
Get your hands in the soil. Plant something. Pull a few weeds. Maybe refill an old planter that is looking neglected with new plants. And simply sit and enjoy what you’ve created.

3. Animals 🐐
Spend time with an animal. There is something wonderfully grounding about them. They don’t care about your to-do list. They simply bring you into the moment.

4. Connection 💚
Have a conversation with someone who lifts your spirits. A friend who makes you laugh. Someone who really listens. A chat over a cup of tea that leaves you feeling a little lighter.
I think we sometimes underestimate just how much a good conversation can give us.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I’m beginning 52 Conversations — because I believe there is something incredibly valuable in sitting down with another person and simply listening to their story.

5. Time to simply be ☀️
No agenda. Nothing to achieve. No need to be productive.

Just be.

And the lovely thing about all five?

They don’t cost a penny.

The only thing they ask of us is time.

And perhaps time is one of the most valuable things we have.

So today, I’m sending a little piece of Longfield your way.

Take a little piece of Longfield with you today.

Go outside.

Notice something.

Have a conversation.

Breathe.

Give yourself five minutes.

🌿 Life at Longfield

Mary x 💚





52 Conversations | BeginTonight I’m pressing the start button. I’ve been thinking about 52 Conversations for quite a whi...
09/08/2026

52 Conversations | Begin

Tonight I’m pressing the start button.

I’ve been thinking about 52 Conversations for quite a while.

Thinking about who I might invite.
Thinking about what the conversations might become.
Thinking about where the idea might lead.

And then this afternoon, I did something very productive ……….

I snoozed. 😄

I was absolutely wrecked, so I gave myself permission to do very little. And after a good sleep, I’ve woken up feeling refreshed, wide awake and rather excited about what might be possible.

And it got me thinking.

At some point, you simply have to begin.

We can spend so much time waiting for the right moment.

When we have more time.
When the idea is clearer.
When we feel more confident.
When everything is perfectly in place.

But perhaps clarity doesn’t always come before we begin.

Perhaps it comes because we begin.

So I’m starting.

Over the coming year, I’m hoping to have 52 conversations with 52 people from different walks of life.

I’m curious about people’s stories.

The experiences that have shaped them.
The lessons they’ve learned.
The unexpected twists and turns.
The things that bring them joy.
The things they might do differently.
And perhaps the wisdom that only comes with living a life.

There won’t be an interview.

No script.

No expectation of having an extraordinary story to tell.

Just two people, a little time, a cup of tea perhaps, and a genuine conversation.

And I don’t know where these 52 conversations will lead.

Perhaps they’ll become stories.
Perhaps they’ll become reflections.
Perhaps they’ll become something I haven’t even imagined yet.

And I’m beginning to realise that I don’t need to know.

I just need to begin.

Would you be one of my 52?

Or perhaps there’s someone you know whose story you think I should hear.

I’d love to hear from you.

Send me a DM. 🌿

52 Conversations | The Longfield Way

Pause • Reconnect • Grow

A Walk Around Longfield…… with company 🌿Today I had some very special company on my Walk Around Longfield. Aoibh and I ...
07/08/2026

A Walk Around Longfield…… with company 🌿

Today I had some very special company on my Walk Around Longfield.

Aoibh and I took a gentle stroll down the lane …. or perhaps it’s the avenue …. or maybe just the driveway. There are so many options for naming it!

But really, whatever we call it, the magic happens once we leave the road behind and step onto the lane. Somehow the noise of the outside world disappears, and we’re simply here - together, surrounded by trees, sky, birdsong and the little things that catch our attention. ☁️

Today, it wasn’t about getting anywhere.

It was about going at the pace of little legs.

A gentle hold of the hand. 💚

Stopping to notice the fluffy clouds in the sky.

Watching the wind move through the trees.

And, most importantly, stopping for the blackberries growing along the ditches.

Every time I picked another one, there was a little voice saying, “More!” ❤️

And of course, there was always time for more.

It struck me how easily we can forget to slow down.

I might have walked that same stretch many times, but today I saw it differently because I was seeing it through the eyes of a little girl who had no interest in hurrying.

There was nowhere else she needed to be.

No list to get through!

Just another blackberry. Another cloud. Another tree moving in the breeze.

It was a wonderful reminder that sometimes the best moments are the ones we don’t plan for. And I’m glad I made time for this.

There will be plenty of dark winter days when we will be indoors. So for now, I’m going to make the most of these beautiful summer days, the fresh air, the Longfield evenings ……. and little walks that take longer than usual.

Because slowing down is where the magic is. 🌿💚





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